Nightmares and Phenomenon
by Lady Psychic
Summary: Cloud has been having disturbing dreams about Aeris' death. However, that is only the begining of a series of increasingly bizare events. Warning: may contain disturbing scenes and character death [Complete]
1. Reoccuring Nightmares

_Hey everyone! First off, I would like to say that this just might be the darkest thing I have ever written. Sure, my other two stories had some angst in them but they are no where as dark as this one will be. I've been a little depressed due to recent events in my life, so that is why I felt like writing something like this._

_Warning: This fic is very dark, weird, and disturbing. It includes some graphic violent scenes._

_Note: This story is in Cloud's point of view._

_Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or any of its characters. They belong to Squaresoft (or Square-Enix)_

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 1: Reoccurring Nightmares**

I just stood there, helpless to do anything. She looked at me with eyes that were filled with mixed emotions. As the masamune impaled her, all emotions began to leave her eyes and her body became limp. He slowly pulled the masamune out of her body and her lifeless corpse fell to the ground. He stared at me with those cold, glowing eyes of his and had an evil smirk on his face. Blood began to drip from his masamune and a small puddle had formed.

"Aeris! No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I ran towards her as fast as I could but the closer I got, the father away she seemed. All the while Sephiroth just kept staring at me with that cold glare and evil smirk. Then everything faded to black.

That was when I woke up and sat up on my bed. My heart was pounding and my adrenaline was still in effect. I was shaking erratically. I barely noticed that the door to my room had opened and the footsteps that were approaching me.

"Cloud, are you okay? I heard screaming", said a voice that I recognized to be Tifa. I turned around to face her and replied, "I'm fine." As I said those words, I had stopped shaking and my heart beat became normal. Tifa just stared at me with concern in her eyes. "Did you have a bad dream?" she asked. I nodded my head yes. She stood there for a few minutes before asking, "Are you sure you're okay?" I just nodded my head without a word. Tifa slowly began to walk out of my room and took one last glance before leaving. I just lay in bed for several hours unable to sleep. I didn't want to have that nightmare again.

This was not the first time I had that nightmare. It all started about three months ago. A first they occurred once per week, but they have become more frequent in the last week or two. I wonder if Tifa knows if I've been having the same dream the last couple of days. I know that she knows that something is wrong. She seems to be worried about me lately. I thought about telling her about my nightmares, but I know it would only worry her even more. So, I decided to keep them a secret.

After Sephiroth was defeated several years ago, everyone in AVALANCHE went their separate ways. Tifa and I now live together in a house in Costa del Sol. She had recently opened a new bar there and I often help her manage it.

Sometimes I wonder if I love Tifa or if it is just friendship. I know she has feelings for me and I have some degree of feelings towards her, but I don't know to what extent. Some part of me wants to love her but another part is hesitant. Maybe it is the memory of Aeris that is holding me back. It has been several years since her death, but I still can't get her out of my head. Sure, I had feelings for her, but I didn't know her long enough to say that she was my true love. If she didn't die, would I be in love with her now? Perhaps that is a question that will never be answered.

I should have been able to save her, yet I didn't. Even after all these years, I still feel like I've failed her. Guilt has flooded my heart since her death and it has yet to be drained. People say that grief after someone's death will eventually fade with time, but my case seems to be the exact opposite. Even Tifa's comforting hasn't helped me too much, although it might be the only thing keeping me sane. Maybe I will always feel guilt and grief. Maybe said guilt and grief is the reason why I'm having these nightmares.

I was helping Tifa run her bar today. She says she can run it by herself, but I know she can use all the help she can get. Suddenly, she walks towards me and says, "Cloud, are you sure you're okay? You look pale." I reply, "Don't worry Tifa, I'm fine." However, Tifa remains unconvinced and insists that I go home. I was about to object, but I ultimately decided to take her advice and went home.

When I arrive at the house, I sat down on the couch and tried to read a book. However, the lack of sleep due to my nightmares had caught up with me. My eyes felt as if they weighed a ton and I had to fight to keep them open. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stay awake and I soon found myself in a deep sleep.

I saw Aeris in front of me. She reached for my hand and I reached for hers. Before our hands could meet, her arm suddenly went limp and the life left from her eyes. That was when I noticed the bloody point of sword sticking out of her chest. Then I noticed very familiar eyes glowing from behind Aeris' lifeless course. With one swift pull of his sword, Sephiroth released Aeris' body and she fell onto my feet. I looked down at the bloody, lifeless corpse at my feet and looked back up at her murderer. Sephiroth looked as if was about to say something to me, but before he could everything faded to black.

I woke up startled and nearly fell off the couch. What was weird was the fact that this new nightmare was slightly different from the other ones. Sure Aeris still died, but the other nightmares were exactly the same. I decided to keep myself from going back to sleep by watching some T.V. However, the remote was missing, which was odd since Tifa and I normally keep it in the same place. As I began to search for the remote, I noticed something very strange. As I approached the bookshelf, I noticed that every single book was lying on the floor. How could this be? The last time I checked, all of the books except the one that I took were neatly placed on the self. I was careful to make sure that none of them fell. What could have caused them to all fall out of the shelf? In fact, when did they fall? Was that what caused me to wake up? It could have been, but I didn't remember hearing any noise.

I just decided to shrug this odd occurrence off and began to put the books back onto the shelf. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of a series of bizarre phenomenon.


	2. Strange Occurences

_Well, after writing the first chapter, I'm no longer as depressed as I once was. However, I have been very stressed lately. In order to rid myself of this stress, I shall convert it into creativity. So, here is the second chapter. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or its characters._

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 2: Strange Occurrences**

By the time Tifa had come home, I had already placed all of the books on the bookshelf. In fact, it was impossible to tell that anything out of the ordinary had happened. That was a good thing of course, since I didn't want Tifa to find out. She was already worried about me already, and if she knew about this, she would worry even more.

I still haven't figured out how those books fell off the shelf. I don't think I bumped them. Even if I did, there was no way that they could have all fallen without the bookshelf falling as well. So, what could have happened? I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Tifa approach me.

"Do you feel any better, Cloud?" asked Tifa. I nodded my head and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed some rest." Tifa seemed satisfied with that answer and mentioned nothing more about it. During the rest of the night we fixed and ate dinner together, watched T.V., and eventually went to our beds. I was hesitant to fall asleep at first because I didn't want any more nightmares like the one I had this afternoon or last night; yet, I knew I couldn't delay the inevitable. After a while, my eyelids closed shut and I fell into a deep sleep.

"Cloud!" called out a voice. Although I couldn't see who yelled out my name, I recognized the voice. "Aeris is that you?" I shouted into the dark void. "Cloud, you must run away!" shouted Aeris' voice. What did she mean by 'run away'? Who or what should I run away from? "No Aeris," I answered, "I'm not leaving you. I won't fail you again!" "Please Cloud, you must get away", begged Aeris' voice. How could she say that? I couldn't leave her. "No Aeris, I won't run", I said as I ran towards where her voice had come from.

Then I waited several moments to hear her reply. However, I heard a different voice this time. It was a very familiar voice that sent chills up my spine when it said, "That's right puppet, running away won't do you any good." That voice could only belong to one person: Sephiroth!

Now I ran faster than ever. Even though it was totally dark and I couldn't see a thing, I kept running towards the area that I heard Aeris' voice coming from. She had to be okay! I didn't want to fail her again! I ran faster and faster until I saw a light within the darkness. As fast as I possibly could, I ran towards the light until I reached it.

Within the beam of light was Aeris' body which was completely lifeless. She was lying face down in a pool of blood. I slowly walked toward her body, wishing that I had reached her sooner. I couldn't save her. I failed her again! Falling to my knees, I almost cried. I couldn't cry because I had to be strong, but I wanted to. I was so overcome with grief that I almost didn't notice a pair of glowing green eyes staring at me from the darkness.

However, I did notice those eyes, and I noticed them even more when their owner slowly walked towards me. When he came into the light, I saw those eerie eyes, the face that came with them, the evil smirk on his face, and the long mane of silver hair that was attached to his head. "Sephiroth", I whispered as continued to walk towards me. Within a split second, he unsheathed his sword and said, "There is nowhere you can run now, puppet." Before I could react, he swung the massamune at me and made a cut on my arm. Pain surged throughout my body, and I grabbed my arm in agony. As Sephiroth took another step closer, I had a feeling that the end was near. However, before he could make a fatal attack, everything faded to black.

Suddenly, I woke up gasping for breath. It was only a dream. Still, my heart was beating very fast and I was still in shock. Why do I keep on having these dreams? Is it because I feel guilty of Aeris' death? Or is there another reason? Whatever the reason for this dream may be, I only hope I didn't wake up Tifa. She worries about me more than she needs to.

Then I felt a pain on my arm. I looked at my arm and gasped with shock. There was a scar on my arm in the exact same place where Sephiroth cut me in my dream. I don't remember a scar being there before. How could I have gotten this scar? Could I have cut myself in my sleep? No, my nails aren't long enough and I don't sleep with the Ultima Weapon. Could my dream have something to do with the scar? No, that's impossible! It was only a dream! Then again it is a strange coincidence that it appeared where it did. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I had this scar all along and didn't notice it, but I could've sworn that I didn't have it yesterday. This is too weird.

When Tifa woke up, I pretended to be asleep and pretended to wake up a few minutes later. As Tifa began to fix breakfast, she asked if I had any nightmares last night. "No, I didn't", I lied. "That's good to know", she replied, but I wonder if she really believed me. Whether she believed me or not, it seemed as if my nightmare didn't wake her.

"Hey Cloud, why don't you stay home today?" suggested Tifa as she was about to leave for work. "What? Are you sure you'll be okay?" I asked, still stunned by Tifa's suggestion. Tifa just smiled and replied, "Don't worry Cloud, I'll be fine. You haven't been yourself for the last few days, and you could use a vacation." Maybe she is right. Maybe I do need a vacation. I ultimately decided to take Tifa's advice since she had a point, not to mention that it's hard to argue with her.

After Tifa left, I turned on the T.V. so I wouldn't be bored and to keep my mind occupied. The last thing I wanted was to fall asleep and have another nightmare. The remote was where it always was. Seeing it made me remember yesterday's events. It was because the remote was missing that I discovered those books lying on the ground. What was even weirder was the fact that the remote was under the couch later last night. Normally, Tifa and I are careful about putting the remote on the table. I guess I must have accidentally dropped it under the table, but I remember seeing it on the table before I took that nap yesterday. Oh well, thinking about all of this is getting me a headache.

I began to flip through the channels trying to find something to watch. There was a sop opera, a gameshow, an anime, and a cooking show. As I kept flipping through the channels, I suddenly heard a loud crashing sound from behind me. I turned around to see what it was and saw something totally and utterly bizarre. The living room lamp that was behind the couch once stood 6 feet tall, but now it was only 3 feet. It had been cut perfectly into two halves. The top half was now on the ground, and fragments of the light bulbs were scattered across the floor. What could have been able to cut a metal lamp perfectly in half? The only thing I could think of was the masamune. But there was no way it could have been the masamune! Sephiroth was the only one who could wield the masamune, and he has been dead for several years now. The only way the masamune could have sliced that lamp in half was if Sephiroth was still alive, which was impossible since I saw him die before my very eyes. But if Sephiroth didn't do it, who or what did?


	3. Dream Wounds

_Sorry this chapter took so long. I been having a little writer block, but I think I'm over it. Anyways, here is the third chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own FF7_

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 3: Dream Wounds**

"Cloud, I'm home", shouted Tifa as she arrived home that night. As she walked into the living room, I could tell that h noticed that something was off. Fortunately, I've prepared myself for the incoming question: "Cloud, where is the living room lamp?"

I forced a smile and replied, "Well, the lamp blew a fuse and I couldn't fix it, so I got rid of it." Tifa seemed conflicted; as if part of her seemed suspicious while the other part desperately wanted to believe every word I said. I didn't really want to lie to her. Actually, I wasn't completely lying. After all, there was no way I could fix the lamp after it was cut into two pieces, so I had to get rid of it. Besides, if Tifa found out what really happened she would have freaked. She worries about me too much already so I didn't want her to worry even more.

Tifa apparently believed my explanation since we didn't discuss it any further. Instead, we just when about our normal routine as if nothing happened. We ate dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, did some chores, and watch TV before going to bed. Nothing was out of the ordinary and everything was as normal as it could be.

However, as I tried to relax on my bed, I couldn't help but think about the events that had occurred in the last few days. I thought about the strange dreams, the remote, the books falling off the shelf, the strange mark on my arm, and the incident with the living room lamp. Why were these things happening to me? What was causing them to happen? What exactly was happening anyways? These questions were running through my mind as I tried to go to sleep. Part of me didn't want fall asleep due to the chance that I would have another nightmare. However, I couldn't keep resisting sleep forever and I eventually found myself closing my eyes and drifting into my dreams.

"Cloud!" shouted a voice that came from the dark abyss. I recognized the voice as Aeris' and saw her figure appear from the darkness. She shouted my name again as she ran towards me as fast as she could. She looked at me with worry-filled eyes and said, "Cloud, you must get away from here. He's coming!" I didn't have to ask who she was talking about. I wrapped my arms around her and said, "Don't worry Aeris, I'll protect you. Sephiroth will never hurt you again." "But Cloud…" began Aeris, but before she could finish what she was saying she suddenly pushed me to the ground. I looked up to ask why she did that, only to see a familiar looking blade sticking out of her chest. If she hadn't pushed me away, I would've been stabbed as well. Then the blade was pulled out and Aeris' limp body fell to the ground, revealing Sephiroth behind her. I stood up and reached for my blade, but I didn't have it. I quickly turned back towards Sephiroth, yet both he and Aeris had disappeared.

I wandered through the dark abyss for a few minutes while shouting "Sephiroth, you bastard! Show yourself!" As I walked around, I felt the darkness close around me. I also began the feel loneliness and despair. Suddenly, I felt a great surge of pain in my back as if I was stabbed by the masamune. Overcome with pain, I fell into the darkness. While being swallowed by the darkness I heard a voice say "Cloud, wake up!"

My eyes suddenly opened and I saw Tifa standing by my bed. She looked very worried and asked "Cloud, are you okay? I heard you scream." "I'm fine, Tifa. I just had another bad dream", I replied as I sat up on my bed. "Are you sure?" she asked as she placed her hand on my back. When she did that, I felt a spike pain and felt her quickly pull her hand away. Tifa quickly flipped on the light switch which revealed the fact that her hand was covered in blood. After staring at her bloody hand for a few seconds, Tifa quickly rushed to my side and took a closer look at my back. I heard her gasp loudly before screaming, "Oh my god! Cloud! You have a large wound on your back!" Turning around, I noticed that my normally white bed sheets were red. In fact, they were covered in blood!

As Tifa frantically ran into the bathroom to search for the first-aid kit, I began to think about what just happened. I remembered the end of my dream and realized that the wound I received in said dream was in the same place as the mysterious wound I got now. How the heck did I get that wound anyways? I didn't have any sharp objects around, and even if I did, it would have been hard to injure myself when I was awake and even more so while asleep. As I keep thinking, another thought comes into my mind. Was it possible that my wound was caused by my dream? No way! It's not possible. Then again, I can't help but think that there may be some sort of connection.

Suddenly, my attention drifted away from my thoughts as I hear loud footsteps running towards me. I turned my head to see Tifa at my side again as she opened up the first aid kit and began wrapping bandages around me and applying pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. Then she used a cure materia to speed up the healing process. When she was done and realized that I was going to be okay, she motioned me to get off the bed so she could clean the sheets.

While Tifa went to the laundry room to clean the bloodied sheets, I suddenly realized something else. Now that Tifa had seen that wound, she would no doubt have some questions. I really didn't want to get her involved with these bizarre nightmares and phenomenon, but it now seems as though I don't have a choice in the matter. Then again, I should have known she would find out sooner or later. Either way, I can no longer hide it from her. My realization was proven correct when Tifa walked back into the room and said, "Please Cloud, tell me what's going on!"

I really didn't know what to say to her. How could I tell her what was going on when I didn't really know myself? All that I knew was that the scar on my arm and the wound on my back were somehow connected to the strange nightmares, but that still didn't explain exactly how or why they appeared. As for the books and the lamp, I wasn't quite sure how they tied into the nightmares and the dream wounds but I had a feeling that it wasn't just a coincidence. The only other thing I knew for sure was that my nightmares were hurting me, and it wasn't just the mysterious physical wounds either. Every time I saw Aeris die in my dreams it wounded me emotionally. I don't know how much more pain I can take. I just want my pain and suffering to go away and leave me at peace.

I could see that Tifa was waiting for answer so I replied, "I don't know Tifa, I just don't know." That was as truthful as I could be without going into the details.


	4. Paranoia

_First off, this fanfic will not last too much longer. However, it will be longer than I originally thought it would be. Originally, this story was only going to last 5 chapters but as I started writing it, the story became a little longer. Right now, the story will probably be between 6-7 chapters long. Anyways, this is the fourth chapter and things are about to get really weird. I hope whoever is reading this will enjoy it. Although I do not require people to review my work, it's still nice to know what people think about it._

_Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or its characters. _

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 4: Paranoia**

"Please stay home today, Cloud. You're in no condition to go with me to work with me today. In fact, if I didn't have to go to the bar today, I'd stay here with you," said Tifa as she was about to leave for work. I knew she meant what she said. If we didn't need the money to make house payments, she'd probably take a couple of months off to take care of me. Sometimes, I wondered if it was because we were best friends or if she really was in love with me. If she really did love me, could I return her feelings? Did I love her too? At this point, I just wasn't sure.

I noticed that Tifa was hesitating about leaving, so I forced a smile on my face and said, "Don't worry, Tifa. I'll be fine." Tifa managed to force a smile too, but I could still see the worry in her eyes. "Ok, Cloud. Do you think you can change the bandages by yourself?" asked Tifa. I gave her a reassuring nod and she opened the door to leave. Before she left she added, "Remember to change your bandages every few hours to keep your wound from getting infected. Also, try not to fall asleep." After saying those words, she left to go to the bar.

I didn't want to tell Tifa about my dreams and that I thought they were connected to my wounds, but she kept making me feel guilty until I told her. At first, she didn't seem to believe that my dreams could be the cause. Heck, even I didn't totally believe it. After all, getting hurt in your dream and suddenly being hurt in the exact same spot in the real word sounded far fetched. Yet, there wasn't any other explanation that either of us could think of. Of course, she still doesn't know about everything thing that has happened. The nightmares and strange wounds have her worried enough already. There was no way that I was going to tell her about the lamp or the books.

The hours passed by slowly. I tried reading a book, but I couldn't concentrate. No matter how hard I tried to read, I kept looking back at the bookshelf as if I was expecting the books the fall off again. After a while, I gave up and putted the book back on top of the shelf. Then I tried to watch television, but there wasn't anything on that really interested me. All that seemed to be on was the news and soap operas. Every time I forced myself to watch television my eyes would begin to close. Since I didn't want any more weird dreams, I made myself a cup of coffee. About 10 coffee's later, I decided I needed to get out of the house for while. Of course, if Tifa found out I left the house she would probably worry and give me a lecture when I got home. Still, I nothing better to do and the fresh air might do me some good.

Costa del Sol was a popular tourist spot and the beaches were usually packed. However, after living here for some time, Tifa and I found a hidden part of the beach that not many other people knew about. Because so few people know of this place, it is somewhere peaceful that we can get away from life's problems. Since no one else was around, I sat down on the sand and listened to the waves crashing onto the shore. For the first time in a long while, I felt truly relaxed. I guess it's a calming effect that the waves have. In fact, I had to keep pinching myself every so often to keep myself from falling asleep.

However, despite the serene place I was in, I couldn't help but feel that someone or something was watching me. I didn't know why I was feeling this way since I was the only one on this hidden patch of beach. Maybe I was being paranoid. Still, something seems a little off. As a look around, I noticed a trail of footprints that I could swore that I haven't seen before. I know they aren't mine because they were bigger than my feet. Who could have made them? After all, there isn't anyone here but myself. Maybe I'm just paranoid again. Maybe those footprints were there all along and I just didn't notice them. Yet, I could've sworn they weren't there a few minutes ago. After getting the felling of being watched again, I decided that I probably should leave. Besides, if Tifa came home to check on me and noticed that I wasn't there, I would be in big trouble.

When I came home, I was glad that were wasn't any signs that Tifa had come home on a break to check on me. If she did, either she would've left a note or she would've stayed at the house until I got home and give me a lecture. Fortunately, there wasn't any sign of Tifa or a note. After taking a big sigh of relief, I sat onto the couch. I grabbed the remote and decided to watch TV again. Sure, there usually isn't anything really interesting on, but at least it keeps me occupied.

As I was causally flipping channels, the screen suddenly turned to static. I kept flipping through the channels, but every station showed nothing but static. Maybe something was wrong with the antenna or maybe the TV was broken. I checked the antenna but it seemed to be okay. The TV seemed to be working as well, but I don't know much about TVs. I decided to call a repair man and picked phone. The phone was dead. Maybe a phone line was down. Still, I had a feeling that something wasn't right. I picked up the remote again to turn the TV off. Nothing happened and the screen was still filled with static. I tried again and it still didn't respond. Maybe the batteries had run down in the remote. Yet, that doesn't make any sense because I just changed the batteries last week.

Suddenly, an image appeared on the screen. As I took a closer look, I saw what looked like Aeris praying. But it couldn't be! Yet, the image looked exactly like her. What the hell was going on! I look at the image again. It looked like Aeris right before she was stabbed by the massamune. Then I gasp in horror at the sight of Aeris being murdered in front of me again. Only this time it was all happening on TV. I place my hands on the TV screen hoping that I could somehow jump into the TV and rescue her from Sephiroth, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, I could never save her. Maybe I fell asleep and didn't realize it. Maybe this is all a bad dream. I pinched myself and realized that this is not a dream. It's happening again. But how and why?

Suddenly, I'm pulled out of my thoughts when the screen zooms in on Sephiroth's face. He has an evil smirk on his face, and his glowing eyes are starring at me. It's almost as if he is looking into my soul. Without warning, the screen turns to static again. I just stood in front of the TV with my mouth gapping open. I hit the "off" button on the remote and the TV successfully turns off. Now only one thought ran through my mind: what the hell had just happened?

A few hours later, Tifa came home. When she asked if I was feeling better, I told her that I was fine. However, a look that a caught in her eye suggested that she didn't really believe me. I guess she could somehow sense that something was wrong. I think it was what everyone called 'women's intuition'. Still, I reassured her that everything was okay and that there was nothing to worry about. I guess part of her believed me because she didn't mention anything more about nightmares or strange occurrences. It was for the best at least. I didn't want to be talked into telling her about the TV incident. After all, how could I explain something that even I didn't completely understand myself?

After I changed my bandages, Tifa and I decided to eat out at a restaurant. After eating a good meal, we went back home and decided to go to bed early. At first, Tifa didn't want to go to sleep. I guess she was afraid that I would have another dream and wake up with an even worse wound than the one on my back. It took me a while to convince her that I would be okay. "Are you sure that nothing's going to happen? I could stay up to wake you if you start to have nightmares again," offered Tifa. I shook my head and replied as reassuringly as possible, "You don't have to worry, Tifa. Nothing's going to happen. Now, why don't we get some shut eye?" Tifa, who was also pretty tired, agreed and we both went to our beds. I lay on my bed waiting for the darkness of sleep to take me. I knew it might be dangerous if had another one of those nightmares, but I also knew it was no use trying to run from it either. In the end, I would eventually have to face my nightmares so I might as well fall asleep. Within minutes after ceasing to resist the tiredness and fatigue, my eyes began to close and I fell into a deep slumber.

It was still dark when I awoke. I looked at the clock which said the time was 3:00 am. At least, I think that was the time, but I'm not sure since my head was hurting so much that I could barely concentrate. It was a terrible headache, not a strange nightmare, which woke me up. In fact, for the first time in a while, I had a dreamless sleep. One would think that I should be jumping for joy, but somehow the lack of dreams seems somewhat unsettling. Although I'm glad that I that didn't have another weird nightmare, why didn't I have one? Why did the dreams suddenly stop? At least, I would have thought about those questions if I didn't have a side-splitting headache. After sitting up for a few minutes, I wandered into the bathroom. I took a few pills of pain medication and began to wash my face in the sink. As I looked into the bathroom mirror after washing my face, I noticed that something was a little off. I took a closer look at myself in the mirror and it appeared as if I was crying tears of blood. In fact, my entire face was covered in blood. I suddenly looked down at my hands and realized that they were also covered in blood. What the hell! Did my wound reopen and leaked through the bandages? I turned around and struggled to see my back's reflection in the mirror. No, the bandages weren't red, so the blood didn't come from my wound. I then looked down at the sink and stared in shock. The liquid coming out of the faucet wasn't water; it was blood! I stared at the strange sight for several minutes and was too stunned to realize that the sink was overflowing.

Without warning, I heard a very familiar voice say, "There is no where you can run, Cloud." I looked up and gasped at what I saw in the mirror. I no longer saw my reflection; instead, I saw Sephiroth!


	5. The Man in the Mirror

_Well, it's been a while since I updated this. My goal is to finish this fanfic before Advent Children comes out. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), Advent Children's U.S. release has been delayed until November (or was it December). Either way, that gives me more time to finish this. This fic won't last too much longer and will end either chapter 6 or chapter 7. Anyways, I should warn whoever is reading this that things are about to get even weirder. There may also be character death later in the story as well (Aeris doesn't count because she is already dead). I hope you all enjoy this, and please review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 or its characters. They belong to SquareEnix._

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 5: The Man in the Mirror**

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Right in front of me, in the mirror where my reflection should be, was Sephiroth. But how could that be! I thought I had killed him with myself those many years ago. In fact, how did he get into that mirror in the first place? What the hell was going on!

Sephiroth stared at me so coldly that I almost felt my blood freeze. His mouth formed an evil smirk. I heard him chuckle; most likely due to my reaction to his sudden reappearance. I'm not quite sure exactly what I looked like, but I'm pretty sure my eyes were almost budging out of my head from shock.

"It can't be, you're supposed to be dead!" I shouted at the silver-haired man. His evil smirk grew even bigger, and after a few moments of silence, he replied, "Did you really think I was gone forever? You are even more foolish than I thought you were."

Suddenly, one of Sephiroth's arms shot out of the mirror. Before I had time to react, I felt his hand grasp my neck tightly. I tried to struggle out of his hold, but I couldn't move my arms for some reason. In fact, I could barely move at all. As his grip tightened, I began to choke. "You shall pay for interfering in mother's plans," said Sephiroth in an emotionless yet smooth tone. Then he tightened his grip even more.

After a few moments, the room began to become dim. Then, the shadows began to overcome the room. Soon, I could barely feel Sephiroth's grip. In fact, I could hardly see him since he was slowly fading away with the rest of the bathroom. Eventually, there was nothing left of my surroundings but darkness. I quickly found myself drifting away into the empty void. Darkness was slowly consuming me, and I felt as if I was drowning. All hope was quickly leaving my mind and my heart. I was lost in the darkness with barely any hope of getting out.

"No, Cloud! You mustn't give up!" shouted a voice. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of me. I was nearly blinded by it. A figure began to appear from the light. As it moved closer to me, I began to recognize who it was.

"Aeris?" I called out to the figure. Sure enough, it was Aeris who was standing in front of me. Her eyes were closed and it looked as if she was praying. Maybe she was praying; mostly likely for my soul to be saved from the darkness and despair. It was just like her to do something like that. When she was alive, she was such a kind and gentle person, putting the needs of others in front of her own. And now she was here in front of me. Had her spirit come to my aid? Did I die and is she here to guide me? Or is this another dream? Was the entire thing with Sephiroth strangling me a dream?

I was suddenly knocked out of my thoughts when I heard Aeris' voice again. "Cloud, you must live! You can't let this beat you," said Aeris in a soft, sweet tone as she opened her eyes. I could see a sad gleam in her gaze. She was right, of course. I couldn't just give up and drift in the darkness for all eternity. I knew that I must fight the darkness and fight Sephiroth. Aeris gave me a slight smile and said, "Cloud, you must see the truth. I know you can do it." Then, Aeris walked back into the light and began to disappear. I wanted to shout "Don't go, Aeris!" but for some reason the words couldn't come out of my mouth.

Suddenly, the light had Aeris had disappeared in grew brighter and the darkness around me began to fade. I soon realized that I back in the bathroom. Sephiroth was still in the mirror and still had his grip around my neck. However, this time I didn't let myself give up and loose consciousness. I wouldn't let him win. As Sephiroth tried to strangle me again, I fought with all my might to stay conscious and stared him down. Although Sephiroth wasn't the least intimidated, he seemed to have realized that I wouldn't give up so easily.

"So, the puppet has a stronger will than I thought", said Sephiroth in a calm, smooth voice. I smirked at him and replied, "You won't beat me. I defeated you before, and I'll beat you again!" "Is that so?" answered Sephiroth, his voice as cold as ever. The evil smirk on his face and the gleam in his eyes told me he was up to something. I was right of course.

Before I could do anything, I saw a swish of silver and felt a sudden surge of pain. Sephiroth had impaled my shoulder blade with the masamune using the arm that wasn't strangling me. I had no idea how the masamune (or even the arm that was strangling me) came through the mirror, but at that time it was the furthest thought from my mind. The pain was excruciating. I had to fight to keep from screaming in agony. Tears from the pain were forming in my eyes, but I knew I mustn't allow Sephiroth to see them. If I cried, then I would be admitting my weakness and that was what Sephiroth wanted: to see me weak and in pain. So, I fought back the tears and took the pain.

As I was fighting the pain, I noticed the similarities between this encounter and my nightmares. I thought to myself 'Could this be a nightmare too? I guess it's possible; yet, it seems so real. If this is a dream, then why do I feel pain?' I suddenly gasped as I felt Sephiroth turning the blade to cause me even more pain. He seemed to get some sort of twisted pleasure from torturing me. I could feel blood flowing out of my wound and running down my shoulder and even down my arm and chest. As Sephiroth kept twisting sword, the pain became more and more unbearable. I soon felt myself starting to become unconscious again, but I fought it with all my might. I couldn't surrender to the pain darkness, and despair.

As I struggled to keep being consumed by the pain, I heard Sephiroth ask, "Why do you fight against the inevitable?" "Simple, I can't let you win", I replied. "Pity, all your efforts are in vain", said Sephiroth in a tone that sent an icy chill down my spine. Then, he smirked before adding, "I know you are in pain. Don't try to deny it. You can't escape, not even in your dreams."

His words rang through my mind. What did he mean by 'you can't escape, not even in your dreams'? Was he saying that he somehow caused my nightmares to occur? Then again, it did make sense in a way. Was he responsible for the other bizarre events that had happed these past few days? I wouldn't be surprised if he was. At least, pondering these questions had kept me from thinking about the pain, if only for a moment. Yet, I couldn't keep ignoring the turning blade in my shoulder as it cut deeper and deeper into my flesh and bone. Maybe Sephiroth was right. Maybe my efforts were in vain. Yet I couldn't give up, despite the pain and the hopelessness of the situation.

"Cloud!" I heard a voice call out my name. At first, I thought it was Aeris again, but as I turned my head around, I saw Tifa standing behind me. She had a look on her face that was a mixture of shock and worry. I quickly worried less about myself and more about Tifa. What if Sephiroth somehow jumped out of the mirror and tried to attack Tifa? I wouldn't live with myself if something happened to her. I already failed Aeris, and if Tifa died, I don't know if I could live with the additional guilt. "Tifa, don't come any closer! Run away while I try to hold him off," I shouted at the top of my lungs. However, Tifa didn't move at all and she seemed to be even more confused. "What are you talking about?" asked Tifa. I raised my eyebrow in confusion. After all, I thought the situation seemed obvious. "Tifa, if you don't run now Sephiroth will probably kill you!" I said in an urgent tone. Yet, Tifa still looked confused and replied, "But Cloud, Sephiroth died years ago." Was she blind? She didn't seem like she could see him. But why couldn't she see Sephiroth? I had to know what was going on so I asked, "Don't you see Sephiroth chocking me!"

After I asked my question, Tifa took a few steps back. She looked at me as if I were crazy. A few minutes of awkward silence passed before she answered, "No Cloud, you're chocking yourself!"


	6. Insanity!

_Well, this fic is winding down. There is only one more chapter after this one. I hope whoever is reading this story is enjoying it. Of course, I would have an idea if everyone was enjoying this if more people reviewed. Sadly, there have only been 3 reviews on this story so far! Now, I'm not one of those people who threaten to stop writing or delete a story if they don't get a certain number of reviews. I will still finish this story regardless of whether I get any more reviews or not, but I still encourage that at least someone reviews this. Anyways, on with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 or its characters. They belong to Square Enix._

_Warning: There will probably be character death (although it will be in the next chapter). Just thought I would let everyone know ahead of time. However, nothing is set in stone and I might change the ending._

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 6: Insanity!**

"No Cloud, you're chocking yourself!"

Tifa's words shocked me to say the least. How could I be chocking myself? Wasn't Sephiroth the one who was chocking me?

I looked back at the bathroom mirror expecting to see Sephiroth there, but saw my own reflection instead. To my horror, it was my own hand that was strangling me, not Sephiroth's. As I looked closer to my reflection, I noticed that my other hand was holding something that was digging into my shoulder. Pulled the sharp object out and saw that it was large piece of glass. Where did I get this? I couldn't remember. Why was I stabbing myself with it? I had no idea. I thought that it was Sephiroth's masamune. But how could I mistake a mere piece of glass for the masamune? Was it an illusion? Was I dreaming the whole time and just had been fooled into thinking it was real? Was Sephiroth still alive somehow and was he messing with my mind like he did years ago? Or have I gone insane?

I looked back at Tifa. Judging from the look on her face she probably thinks I've gone insane. I couldn't really blame her though. After all, I was chocking myself and had inflicted a bad wound on myself. As I looked into Tifa's eyes, one thought went through my head: 'Great, now she thinks I'm suicidal!'

"Cloud, what were you thinking!" shouted Tifa. Not quite sure what I should tell her, I just kept silent. Tifa, not satisfied with my lack of response, kept shouting at me, "Why did you do that, Cloud! You know that you could've always told me what was bothering you." "I know, but…," I began to explain, but Tifa interrupted me. "No buts, Cloud! I know you're still bothered by Aeris' death, but there was nothing you could've done. Killing yourself won't bring her back!"

I was about to tell Tifa that Aeris had nothing to do with my so called 'suicide attempt' but Tifa wouldn't let me speak. "Look, I don't know exactly what's going on but I have a pretty good idea", accused Tifa. What Tifa didn't know was that even I didn't know what was going on.

Then Tifa began to head towards my room. When I followed her there, I noticed she was looking around my bed. At first, I had no idea what she was looking for. When she looked under the bed, I heard her gasp. Tifa pulled out a shiny, sharp object that was covered in dry blood. As I took a closer look at the object, I realized that it was a large piece of a light bulb. Then, Tifa looked me straight in the eyes in an accusatory manner and said, "So, is this what you used to stab yourself in the back!"

I was speechless. I had absolutely no idea how that got under my bed. If I did stab myself with that light bulb shard, then why can't I remember it? Did I stab myself in my sleep? I guess that's possible, but how did it get underneath my bed? In fact, how did I get a hold of a piece of light bulb in the first place? I remember picking up the pieces of a light bulb after the living room lamp was sliced in half. Did I keep one of those pieces? The memory is fuzzy but I think I remember putting a piece in my pocket for some reason. However, I can't remember why I saved a piece of light bulb glass.

Now that I've thought about it, I remember where I got that piece of glass that I stabbed myself in the bathroom with. A few days before the bookshelf incident, I took a walk around Costa del Sol. Suddenly, I saw this large piece of glass lying on the ground. I have no idea why I was drawn to it, but for some reason I took it with me. However, I lost track of it and eventually forgot it existed. I couldn't remember where I putted it or even the fact I even had it. I feel as if there are gaps in my mind. Of course that's nothing new, but one would think that I would at least be able to remember something from a few days ago. If Sephiroth was still alive, then I would be able to say that he was messing with my head again. Unfortunately, Sephiroth was dead as far as I knew. So, if he had nothing to do with all these bizarre events and my inability to remember things, then what it causing this? Maybe it's all in my head. Maybe I'm really going insane.

Tifa definitely thinks I'm insane, or at least suicidal. She decided to close down the bar today and stay home. After removing anything sharp or remotely dangerous, she bandaged my shoulder and locked me in my room. She would come in to check on me every 5 to 10 minutes. While waiting for her to return, I began to reevaluate everything that had happened.

First, I thought about the nightmares that started it all. Why did I have those nightmares in the first place? Was it because of my guilt for not being able to save Aeris? Was there another reason? Then, I thought about the book case incident. Did I knock off all those books by accident while I was asleep? Did I do it while awake and can't remember because I blacked out? Or did something or someone else cause the books to fall? Then I thought about the living room lamp. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation as for what caused it to be cut in half. I sold my sword long ago so that couldn't be the cause. As for the wound on the back incident and strangling myself in the bathroom, the only reasonable explanation I could think of was that I accidentally did it in my dreams while sleep walking or something. Yet, some of the details appear as if I planned on hurting myself. Sure, there were times were I contemplated suicide but I never actually planned it out. It was nothing more than a fleeting thought.

What the hell is going on! If I'm not insane already then thinking about this mess would surely make me so. I think I now have a headache. Time was passing by as I lied on my bed in deep thought. I didn't know how much time has passed. Tifa hadn't come by to check on me for some time now. I guess she decided that I should be safe now. Still, I decided to leave my room to make sure she's ok. Fortunately, Tifa had left the door unlocked. I guess she thought that I was no longer suicidal. Or maybe she forgot to lock it the last time she left.

As I walked down the hall in search for Tifa, I felt uncomfortable for some reason. It was as if something bad was about to happen. "Tifa where are you?" I asked out loud. I began to search frantically. Maybe I was just paranoid, but I couldn't help but sense that something was wrong. Suddenly, I felt a chill go down my spine as I heard a familiar voice in my head.

"This isn't over yet, puppet!"


	7. End of the Nighmare

_Well, all things must come to an end and so must this fic. This is the final chapter of this story. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed. Also, if the reason why you haven't reviewed was because you didn't want to log in, then I'm happy to announce that I'm allowing anonymous reviews. So please review and tell me what you think of this story._

_Warning: Contains blood, violence, mild language, and character death_

_Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or its characters. SquareEnix owns them._

**Nightmares and Phenomenon**

**Part 7: End of the Nightmare**

"This isn't over yet, puppet!"

I shivered at the voice. Was that really Sephiroth or had I finally gone insane? I much as I hate to admit it, I hope that it is the latter. We had barely managed to beat Sephiroth those many years ago. I don't know if we could do it again, especially since me and the rest of Avalanche had gone our separate ways. To make matters worse, I sold my sword long ago and didn't have a weapon with me. Damn the bad luck!

"Bad luck indeed", echoed Sephiroth's cold voice throughout the house. Great, now he could read minds! I had no idea where his voice was coming from. It seemed to come from all around me.

"No, you can't be Sephiroth!" I shouted at thin air. "Why not?" asked the voice. "Because you are dead!" I answered. "Oh, really? Are you sure about that?" replied the voice. I didn't know how to answer that. I wasn't really sure of anything anymore. How could I know if the voice was real or not, much less whether Sephiroth was alive?

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards me. I turned around and saw…….Sephiroth! He was standing at the other end of the hallway. "No, it can't be! Your just a figment of my mind!" I shouted. "Cloud?" asked Sephiroth, or at least the image in front of me looked and sounded like Sephiroth. However, I couldn't help but feel that something was a little off. Still, as Sephiroth approached me, I started to back up and shouted, "Get away from me!" Sephiroth gave me a confused stare and asked, "Cloud, is everything alright? What's wrong?" I should've noticed that Sephiroth's voice sounded a little different as well as the fact that he wasn't acting like himself, but I was preoccupied with the fact he had returned.

Instead of answering Sephiroth's questions, I turned around and ran to the nearest door and entered the room. Fortunately, I found myself in the kitchen and began to search for anything that could be used as a weapon. I saw a steak knife lying on the counter and quickly grabbed it. It would not be a match for the massamune but at least it was better than nothing.

I heard footsteps slowly walking towards the kitchen. I quickly ducked behind the counter. The door slowly opened and I heard someone walk onto the tiled kitchen floor. I peeked from around the corner of the counter to see Sephiroth standing in the middle on the kitchen, most likely trying to find me. When he turned his back to me, I saw my chance. It was now or never! I ran out from my hiding place and charged at Sephiroth with my knife drawn. Sephiroth turned around to see me coming, but it was too late for him to do anything about it. I shoved him to the ground and started stabbing him like crazy. Closing my eyes, I continued to stab him over and over again. I wouldn't give him the chance to retaliate.

After a few minutes of stabbing him, I slowly opened my eyes. I expected to see Sephiroth lying on the ground dead, or at least severly injured. Instead I saw…….Tifa!

Oh Shit! What have I done!

No, it can't be! It couldn't have been Tifa who I stabbed! Yet, she was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood and was covered in stab wounds. I looked at the knife in my hand and saw that it was dripping with blood. Or to be precise, it was dripping with her blood.

Tifa was still alive, but barely. She had lost a lot of blood, after all. She slowly opened her eyes, and weakly asked, "Cloud, are you back to normal?" I nodded my head and said, "Tifa… I didn't mean to…. I thought you were Sephiroth." "I…. understand….. Cloud", replied Tifa, who was struggling to stay conscious. I slowly lifted her up and wrapped my arms around her. "Don't worry Tifa, you are going to be alright", I said in an attempt to comfort both her and myself. "I'm…. sorry…. Cloud….. but I…. can't….. hold on…… much longer," said Tifa, as tears began form her eyes. A single tear fell from her eyes and slid down her cheek.

Suddenly, she became limp in my arms. "Tifa?" I asked, as I started to shake her in an effort to revive her. After a few minutes, I shook her harder while yelling her name even louder. But it was no use. Tifa was already gone.

For several long moments I sat in silence, trying to absorb what had happened. Then, I began to break down in despair. I failed. I failed to save Aeris, and now, I failed to save Tifa too. In fact, I killed her with my own hands. My hands and my clothes are stained in her blood.

I picked up Tifa's lifeless body and carry it outside. Being careful not to draw to much attention to myself, I sneak her to our secret strip of beach. I laid her body on the beach and went back to the house to get a shovel. When I returned to the beach, I dug a hole in the sand and buried Tifa.

For a long time, I sat by Tifa's grave. I'm not even sure how I stayed there. I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn't restrain them any more. One by one, the tears began to drip from my eyes. How could I been tricked by such an illusion? Why did she appear before me as Sephiroth? More tears formed as I pondered those questions.

Suddenly, I heard a voice, the smooth, cold voice of Sephiroth, murmur, "Pathetic fool!" "Sephiroth, where are you? Are you behind Tifa's death?" I shouted out loud so that Sephiroth could hear me no matter where he was hiding. Following my words, I heard a deep chuckle before Sephiroth replied, "Why are you so quick to blame her death on me when it was you who killed her?" Sephiroth's words struck me down. After all, I did kill her even though I was tricked into thinking it was someone else. Then, a thought occurred in my head and I answered, "I thought she was you, not to mention that you have a history of messing with my head." "True, you do have point and perhaps I did have something to do with that girl's demise", said Sephiroth.

At this point, I was tired of waiting for Sephiroth to appear. "Why don't you show yourself, you bastard!" I shouted, my words hinted at the rage that filled my heart. "I would but unfortunately, I lack a physical body of my own", replied Sephiroth. "So, your appearance in the mirror was an illusion? And how are you able to exist without a body?" I asked out loud. I heard a deep chuckle before Sephiroth replied, "Yes, it was an illusion as was making the girl look like me. Also, I never said I didn't have a body. I just don't have one of my own."

After I heard those words, I began to get even more confused than I already was. He has a body but not one of his own? Does that mean he is sharing someone else's body? And where is his voice coming from, anyway? If I didn't know any better, I could've sworn that the voice came from my head? Wait a minute, my head! "That's right," said Sephiroth, "I don't know how, but for quite some time I've been existing inside your mind. Perhaps, it was ever since you defeated me. However, I was in a deep slumber and was repressed into the deepest parts of your mind. Recently, I had regained some power and slowly began to take over." As unbelievable as Sephiroth's words were, they did sort of made sense. Still, why should I believe him? "Believe what you want Cloud, but what I told you was the truth", echoed Sephiroth's voice through my head. Great, he's reading my thoughts again. "Of course I can read your mind, for I'm a part of it" said Sephiroth.

Was Sephiroth behind everything that had happened? What really happened, anyways? Suddenly, I had a vision. I saw myself pulling the books of the bookshelf. Was that how they got onto the floor? Then the scene changed and I saw myself standing next to the living room lamp. Without warning, I summon the massamune and cut it in half. How was I able to summon the massamune? Did Sephiroth take over my body and was somehow able to summon it? I had a feeling that was the case. Then I saw me stab myself with the piece of light bulb glass, and a few seconds later I saw me strangling myself in the bathroom while stabbing myself with a large piece glass I found awhile back. Then I saw myself running at Tifa with a dagger in my hand. I desperately tried to shake the image from my head. I didn't want to relieve Tifa's death again. Before that image could go any further, I screamed, "Stop it! No more!"

"What's the matter? I thought you wanted to know what happened," said Sephiroth's voice. I growled angrily before shouting, "What do you what with me! Why did you make me do all of those things!" "Simple," answered Sephiroth, "I wanted to weaken your will enough, so I would be able to permanently take over your body. You were easy to manipulate, especially after I created those dreams. In the end, you really were nothing more than a mere puppet."

"Damn you! Get out of my head you bastard!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Sephiroth chuckled evilly and replied, "It's too late. It's only a matter of time before I have total control." No! It couldn't end this way! I couldn't let him win! I realized that I still had the dagger in my hands. I thought about stabbing myself at that moment. But would it work. What if Sephiroth was able to gain control of my corpse? I realized that I must kill myself in a way that Sephiroth wouldn't be able to gain control of my body after I was gone. Then, I saw the ocean and an idea popped into my head.

Tifa and I had bought a speed boat shortly after we moved to Costa del Sol. We rarely used it, but now I was grateful that I had it. I pulled out the boat, and used it to go into the middle of the ocean. Tying a rope around a heavy anchor in my boat, I began to tie it around my feet. However, just as I finished tying the knot, I heard a certain voice whisper, "Do you really think I would allow you to do this?"

Suddenly, Sephiroth appeared before me. Of course it was an illusion, but it felt real enough when he grabbed my wrist. As he squeezed my wrist harder, I began to black out. No, he was starting to gain control! Desperately, I fought back and regained control before he could undo the knot. For several minutes I struggled against Sephiroth's mental image but I kept slipping into darkness. I had to end this!

In an effort of desperation, I flung myself at the edge of the boat. I rammed it with such force that the boat capsized. With a loud splash, I hit the water and felt gravity take over the anchor as it began to sink and pull me down with it. Sephiroth's mental image had disappeared, but he still hadn't given up. I could hear him whisper, "Don't do this. You know that you will die." 'Yes, I know but I rather die than let you take over my body', I mentally replied.

As I'm pulled into the depths of the ocean, my life flashes before my eyes. However, I am relieved that it finally over. Sephiroth is gone, and though I will die, I am free from his nightmares. Who knows, maybe I will be reunited with Tifa and even Aeris. With this thought, a smile appears on my face. Everything starts to fade as my lungs fill with water. My soul can finally rest in peace as I fall into eternal sleep within my watery grave.

The End


End file.
